The Liberty Ledger: November 19, 2025

Liberty Middle School. Together We Roar

The Liberty Ledger

Weekly newsletter providing families with the important updates and report of events happening at Liberty Middle School.


Important Dates:

  • Thursday, November 20-Thanksgiving Lunch for Students
  • Monday, November 24-  Gobbler Gallop
  • Wednesday, November 26- School Closed (Holiday)
  • Thursday, November 27- School Closed (Holiday)
  • Friday, November 28- School Closed (Holiday)

Join us for the Gobbler Gallop:

Liberty Middle School is excited to announce the Gobbler Gallop, a fun fitness and community service event that will take place on Monday, November 24th. This event promotes physical activity while supporting local charities right before the Thanksgiving holiday.

🏃 How Students Participate

Students can choose to participate in one of two ways:

  1. Run the Cross-Country Course

  2. Walk Laps on the Field

🥫 Entry Fee: A Gift of Giving

To participate, students are asked to bring an "entry fee" of one non-perishable food item or a thank you card for one of our amazing community organizations (police, fire, etc.). All food donations collected will be distributed to local charities.

🏆 Prizes and Recognition

We will be awarding a pie to the top 2 fastest boys and top 2 fastest girls who complete the cross-country course!

📝 Important Note on Permission Slips

  • Participation is voluntary and requires a signed permission slip.

  • Slips are available in the main office and must be returned there by Friday, November 21st.

  • Students without a slip will remain in class to work on thank-you cards for our community organizations (Police, Fire Dept., etc.).

⏰ Event Schedule (for planning purposes)

The Gobbler Gallop will take place during the morning on November 24th, beginning at 9:10 am. Please note that our school will be flipping Period 2 and Period 4 on this day.

We thank our PE Department for their work in organizing this great event! We encourage you to check with your student to see if they plan to participate.


Rising 8th Graders:

Important Dates!

Dear Rising 8th Grade Families,

 We would like to share several important upcoming dates for our rising 8th graders:

Rising 8th Grade Presentation

December 10–11, 2025

Students will receive their Rising 8th Grade Presentation during their history classes.

Liberty Middle School Curriculum Night

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

All rising 8th grade families are invited to attend Curriculum Night at Liberty Middle School to learn about course options and the transition to 8th grade.

Liberty Class Registration Day (Rising 8th)

Friday, January 16, 2026

Counselors will meet with students to complete their 8th grade course selections.

Course Verifications Sent Home

March 13, 2026

Families will receive course verification forms to review student selections.

Last Day for Course Change Requests

March 27, 2026

This is the final day to submit any course change requests for the 2026–2027 school year.

Counselor Assignments:

  • Last Names A–F, Cat B, CSS

               Counselor: Mr. Wigfall – qjwigfall@fcps.edu

  • Last Names G–Moo, ELP Levels 1–2

               Counselor: Ms. Alvarez-Leon – salvarezleon@fcps.edu

  • Last Names Mop–Z

               Counselor: Ms. Hart – rlhart@fcps.edu

More details will be provided as we get closer to each date. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your assigned counselor.

Mark your calendars and get ready — exciting curriculum events are on the way!

Valerie Peters

Director of Student Services

Liberty Middle School


Webinars on Restorative Justice Practices for Families:

(Nov. 19th and Dec. 19th)

The Power of Restorative Justice Practices to Support Students and Families in Schools and at Home: Part 1

November 19, 10-11:30 a.m. 

Come join this webinar to learn about Restorative Justice (RJ) Practices in FCPS! You’ll learn about what’s available to students and families in schools and how RJ Practices support students and families feeling empowered and connected to their school communities. We will also share how you can implement a simple restorative justice practice to create connection in your family.

Register here

The second one will be Friday, December 19th from 10:00am-11:30am.  The link to register is here to share.  We will cover Tier 3 Restorative Justice in this session.

The Power of Restorative Justice Practices to Support Students and Families in Schools and at Home: Part 2

December 19, 10-11:30 a.m.

Come join this webinar to learn about Restorative Justice Practices in FCPS! You’ll learn about what’s available to students and families in schools and how RJ Practices support students and families feeling empowered and connected to their school communities.  We will also share how you can implement a simple restorative justice practice to create connection in your family.

Register here


Community Thanksgiving Dinners:

FCPS Office of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) is excited to host special Community Thanksgiving Dinners for our students and families, in partnership with Educate Fairfax.

If you are unable to attend your student's Thanksgiving lunch at school, FNS invites you to attend one of our Community Thanksgiving Dinners. These dinners are a great way to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving-inspired meal and celebrate the season with your school community. 

  • When:

    • Monday, November 24, 6–7 p.m. at Herndon High School and Justice High School.

    • Tuesday, November 25, 6–7 p.m. at Annandale High School and Mount Vernon High School.

  • Cost: Meals are FREE for both children and adults thanks to the FNS afterschool program and a generous partnership with Educate Fairfax.

  • Details: No registration is required. Meals will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Families can look forward to enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving-inspired meal, featuring a main dish, side items, fresh fruits and vegetables, and dessert. Meals must be eaten on-site. 

The FCPS FNS team is excited to welcome all families, celebrate the season together, and continue building meaningful connections across our school communities. We hope you will join us! 

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Exclusive Discounts! Lifetouch:

Dear Parents,


As a token of appreciation, Lifetouch is offering discounts on school photography!

  • 50% off a purchase of $50+ with code 50THANKS

  • 40% off a purchase of $40+ with code 40THANKS

  • 30% off a purchase of $30+ with code 30THANKS

Valid through 12/01/25

To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account, find your student and order using your student's student ID number (if available at your school). Don’t forget to order your FREE Digital SmileSafe card!

More about the Smilesafe program here.

Thank you!


November Is National Family Engagement Month

Family Engagement Month is a time to remember that parents and caregivers are children’s first and most important teachers, advocates, and nurturers. 

The FCPS Family Academy supports the continued success and well-being of each and every student within the FCPS community. The Academy offers a variety of positive and engaging learning opportunities and meaningful connections to transform the FCPS experience into a welcoming environment for all families.


Impact Aid:

FCPS is asking all families to fill out a Federal Impact Aid Survey. The form is available in SIS ParentVUE under Online Packets, which is in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in. Please complete it as soon as possible. We will provide paper forms to families who have not completed the survey in ParentVUE starting Monday, November 17

Completing this form for each school-aged child in every household is important. This year, FCPS expects to receive approximately $4 million in Impact Aid funding. These funds are used to support all Fairfax County public schools and centers.

For more information, visit the Federal Impact Aid Survey page.  

Register for ParentVUE

Learn how to activate your SISParentVUE account, so you can easily submit your survey and have access to other helpful information about your child. 

Technical support for using ParentVUE or submitting the survey online is available by submitting a Parent Support Request ticket. Select SISParent in the Application dropdown menu and type “Federal Impact Aid Survey” in the Issue Description section. You may also call the Parent Technology Help Desk at 833-921-3277 (833-921-FCPS).


Materials Review Committee:

We are seeking parent volunteers to serve on our Materials Review Committee. Committee members will read or watch the texts that teachers submit for approval to ensure that it is age appropriate for students. We will also meet monthly to discuss the texts prior to completing the required forms.

 

Please reach out to Maggie Wickham at mpwickham@fcps.edu if interested in serving on the committee this year.

mifi

Student MiFi Access:

The purpose of the MiFi devices is to provide internet access to students who do not currently have access at home. The MiFi devices provide a Mobile Hotspot for up to 5 devices allowing a connection to a filtered network configured to match the current filtering in place at FCPS.

Schools have mobile hotspot devices (MiFi) for checkout to students who have no internet access at home. These MiFis are intended to support school-related activities only, and include internet filtering that prevents recreational uses, including Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services. 

This is available to all students as needed. Students can inform their teacher of the need and form outlining the acceptance of responsibility and home user agreement will need to be signed. Once this is complete a Mifi device will be issued to the student.

For more questions, please contact Caleb Lee Liberty MS TSSpec (Technology Support Specialist) at CLee8@fcps.edu

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Liberty Yearbook:

Don't miss out on capturing all the great memories from this school year! Now's the perfect time to order your yearbook and lock in the best price.

Yearbook prices will increase throughout the year, so the sooner you order, the more you'll save. Here are the deadlines and pricing:

Payments can be made online in MySchoolBucks:
https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/postlogin.action

  • September 16, 2025 – January 9, 2026: $26

  • January 10, 2026 – April 10, 2026: $30

  • April 11, 2026 – June 30, 2026: $38


Liberty Middle Library:

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This week in the Liberty Library:

Spotlight in the Library

Did you know students can visit the library during lunch for some quiet fun? After they’ve eaten, kids can sign up in the morning to join us for games, crafts, or reading. It’s a great way to relax, be creative, and enjoy some calm time with friends!

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After-School Program:

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AFTER-SCHOOL REGISTRATION

Register nowREGISTRATION Is REQUIRED for EVERY Student! 

Almost 100% of students stay at least one day for a rehearsal, activities, or with a teacher for help. 

Consent Forms: Please review and provide your consent for After-School Registration and Digital Resource Access through FCPS’s easy-to-use..

Parent Digital Consent System.(This is the After-School Consent, too)

These forms are required for all.

Please review each consent as one is for Army Affiliation and should only be "accepted" if your family is an Army family. 

For more information, visit the Fairfax County Public Schools website.

Completing the above consent is all you need to do for your student to stay after school for activities, sports, clubs, rehearsals, and even extra help from a teacher.  ✅

 

*FCPS MS Interscholastic Sports*

CRITICAL & NEW this year - Any student that wishes to play on a team that will play another school, must complete the following...

  • MS Sports Registration Link for Fall 2025 - Filled in by the family for each student.(siblings completed separately for everything)
  • PPE- NEW Forms  (FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Evaluation Form) Families need to turn in at least pages 1,2,3.  This includes the physical form your child's doctor needs to complete.  
    • ANY physical done on or after July 1st, 2025, must be on the NEW forms. Old forms dated after July 1st, 2025, will not be accepted
  • Emergency Care Form-  A new form filled in for every student is required for every season

Hard copies of all forms can be picked up in the main office or outside the After-School Office (D122).  A parent meeting will be set up for our families before the first games/meets.  

Students have a variety of interests, and our After-School Program tries to match our activities to meet these. We would appreciate student input as we hire staff, contract with outside vendors and schedule our activities. Please speak with your student and use the form below to note activities your student would like to participate in After-School. No promises, but it will help us plan for the school year.


CVHS Theatre Arts:

ann

Student Services Team

counsel

 

Shirley Alvarez-Leon, Liberty Counselor (Last names G-Moo)

Valerie Peters, Director of Student Services 

Quesuan Wigfall, Liberty Counselor (Last names A-F)

Raychal Hart, Lead Liberty Counselor (Last Names Mop-Z)


Impact of Federal Shutdown on Local Community

Fairfax County is home to around 80,000 federal employees and thousands of federal contractors. Its Federal Workforce Resource Hub is intended to help navigate current and future issues for residents, government employees, active military/veterans, contractors, nonprofits, and businesses who may be affected by actions, changes, or disruptions to federal services or employment. 

Find more community resources available to families.


Free and Reduced Meal Eligibility

If your children qualify for Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM), they may also be eligible for:

  • Waivers or reduced fees for other FCPS fee-based programs.
  • Information about scholarships, classes, and services from non-FCPS agencies and organizations.

To receive these additional benefits, you must give written consent allowing FCPS staff to share your children's meal eligibility status with administrators, school counselors and the school's finance technician. This information will not be shared with any other parties.

The Consent to Share is available here in multiple languages.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the application, feel free to contact our Family Liaison, Jaime Fajardo, at jefajardo@fcps.edu or 703-988-8234. All applications and related conversations will be handled confidentially.



Questions or Concerns?

If you have any questions regarding resources like food and family assistance, please contact Sarah Hughes, School Social Worker at shughes@fcps.edu or visit our Social Worker Page


Helpful Resources


Liberty MS Website Blogpost:

Check out what’s happening at Liberty! Read our latest website blogposts: https://libertyms.fcps.edu/features


LMS Administrative Team

admin

Assistant Principal: Jennifer Filsinger | JLFilsinger@fcps.edu

Assistant Principal: Sarah Letina |  SCLetina@fcps.edu

Principal: Adam Erbrecht  |  AWErbrecht@fcps.edu

Director of Student Services: Valerie Peters |  VCPeters@fcps.edu

Assistant Principal: Gregory Hall |  GHall3@fcps.edu 

After-School Specialist: Sandy Donlon | SLDonlon@fcps.edu